Get A Grip With Your Double Strokes!

A bunch of the rudiments (especially rolls ) are based around playing doubles i.e. a bunch of RR and LL sticking patterns. So this exercise was made to work on giving your fingers a workout and increasing your stick control when it comes to playing diddles, doubles, and rolls!

Below is a warm up for playing doubles, It’s pretty straight forward, RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL. Start the metronome out very slow and concentrate on getting your sticking accurate and making sure that your stick height is equal. Then gradually increase the metronome and concentrate on the rebound of the stick and how you use your fingers more than your wrist to actually perform the doubles.

Here is an exercise that I use around a Paradiddle Variation. It’s called the “para-diddle-diddle-diddle, because the sticking starts off with a RL (para) RR LL RR (diddles). This is a great exersice to work on making those doubles smooth. Remember to make sure that each note is consistent to the timing this is crucial. Your sticking should also look smooth and your sticks should be held at an equal height when you play.

Yes before you say it “hey dude this starts with a left hand not a right hand dummy!”, keep in mind you can start from count 3 to have a right hand lead pattern. Or you can lead with your left hand and start from the beginning! Bonus exercise!